FIRST STEP

01.03.12

Israeli, Palestinian Envoys Meet

Ronen Zvulun / AFP / Getty Images

Chief negotiators for Israel and the Palestinians met Tuesday in Amman, Jordan, in the presence of international diplomats, marking the first face-to-face talk between the two sides in more than a year. “It was a brainstorming session in which both sides, the Israelis and Palestinians, showed eagerness to restart peace negotiations,” said one diplomat who sat in on the meetings. Earlier in the day, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas threatened to take “new measures” against Israel at the end of the month if an agreement was not reached to stop Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank.